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12/22/12

What can keep a dedicated surfer away from surfing? I have asked this question myself many times and have come to the conclusion that nothing can stop a surfer from riding his favourite wave. Want a good example? Check the next video.

In the freezing cold place of Girdwood, Alaska, some mad surfers ride what must be the coldest waves on the planet. According to Wired magazine this waves are "a surfing phenomena that is caused by what’s known as a tidal bore, which happens when the incoming tide creates a wave that travels back against the current of a river or similar setting. When people refer to a “tidal wave,” this is truly what they mean, which is why it can be the cause ofcatastrophic floods and often misidentified as a tsunami".

It is rather strange how they keep floating on theirs boards considering the size of the balls of steel they must drag everywhere.

12/21/12

A curious article hit the Daily Mail. According to the english tabloid, Richard Wands, a 33 year old surfer from Perth (Scotland) survived a shark attack by hitting the animal with his board. The occurrence took place at Trigg Beach, Australia. After the sudden attack Wands was able to alert other surfers in the area and contact local authorities as a prevention.

Now wanna learn how he did it? Take out your note block folks and learn with the man:

'I saw it turn and it came straight for me, in a dead straight line, undeviating, and it genuinely felt like a true final approach, as it were. It definitely felt super-threatening and it wasn't changing its course
'I speared the board into the water to try and deter it. That seemed to work but it came back again so I used the board again and it moved away." 'I was totally scared and definitely thought I would be coming out of the water with one appendage fewer.'
'I genuinely think this thing was looking for a limb, if not more than that. If it had struck blood my gut feeling is that might have encouraged the other sharks to get involved as well, and then there might be a different story today. 'Luckily enough a wave happened to pitch up at the most convenient moment ever and I just belly-flopped onto it and just ran it in on my front. This was definitely a threat, I was utterly convinced.'

12/12/12

Have you ever imagined what it must feel like to be surfing the waves as Kelly Slater does? The surfer who many recognise as the best of all times released some incredible footage. No surf lover can be immune to this wonderful filming.

11/28/12

Surfer Gabriel Medina made the top headlines in the surf community this week when some amazing footage of him performing one of the most difficult surfing moves hit the interwebs. Gabriel is one of the world´s best surfers and a top contender for the ASP world title. The 19 year old occupies the second position in the ranking. Tricks like these have been turning him from a promising talent into a full grown surfer, capable of the very best.

11/9/12

German surfers don´t have it easy. In a country that is almost completely landlocked for the most part of its territory, wave riders tend to get creative.

In Munich, the capital city of the southern state of Bavaria, the Isar river seems to be a reliable alternative to the ocean. River surfing has become so popular in the city that serious competitions have already taken place.

In case you ever want to ride these waves, be aware that the best spot is under the Reichenbach Bridge.

With good beer, breathtaking landscapes and a decent amount of waves to surf, Bavarians seem to have it all don´t they?

11/1/12

The local surf brand Jetty is selling t-shirts in an effort to aid those suffering from Hurricane Sandy. According to the brand"all profits from the sales of the Jetty T-shirt will go to victims of the storm who are in direct need of assistance as well as the emergency response units who risked their lives to save others". If any of you wants to buy this t-shirt gohere. The profit of the selling will be mainly directed to the people of New Jersey, one of the areas that were most affected by the hurricane.

Hurricane Sandy keeps providing footage for this website. The next video was made by the Cavin Brothers and stars some of the best East Coast surfers like Evan Geiselman, Jesse Heilman, Cory Lopez, Asher Nolan and many others.

10/31/12

What pops up in your mind when someone talks about the Lake Superior? The freezing weather, the breathtaking landscapes, the unique fauna will certainly be one of the firsts images that most people associate with the largest freshwater like on Earth.

But what if I tell you that its waters are commonly used by surfers ? Even in this remote scenery, so far away from those places that we use to associate with surfing and with such bad weather conditions, surf exists. More than a sport, this is a way of life that truly knows no boundaries. I present you surfer Ryan Patin.

10/26/12

What if I told you that a country in Europe is offering the back trip to all surfers who do not find any good waves? That is exactly what the portuguese government decided to do.

Between October and December this year, 28 surf spots across the country are included in this tourism campaign aimed to attract surfers all around the world. Famous spots include the Coxos Beach (considered to be one of the best surf beaches in Europe) or Supertubos (which recently hosted the ASP world championship).

The reason for this advertising campaign seem to be clear: the portuguese are so confident of the quality of the country´s waves that they will actually pay if there are no "surfable" waves to be found. What do you think?

10/23/12

Yeah, you have probably already heard of her. She is called by many as one of the best female surfers competing these days and with all certainty one of the sexiest. She was voted by site bleacherreport as the hottest athlete of 2011. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you Alana Blanchard.

10/21/12

What keeps surfing movies enjoyable is not only the ability of talented surfers but also the continuous development of filmmaking techniques. Check out the amazing work this little camera can provide for all of us viewers. I know, this video is an ad and that sucks, but can you imagine competitions using this kind of footage? That would surely spice up some of those boring early rounds in the championship. Starts at 1m50s.

10/18/12

After the long wait, competition resumed in Portugal. The third round of the eighth stage took place today in the crowded beach of Supertubos.

The surprise of the day was the early elimination of Kelly Slater. The american was unable to reach the next phase, obtaining a final score of 5.27. As for his opponent, Brazilian Raoni Monteiro, the round could not have been better, achieving a final score of 9.20.

Slater has therefore lost almost all the chances he had on achieving yet another world title. It should be remembered that last year, the campion in title lost the final in Peniche for Brazilian golden boy Adriano de Souza.

With these surprising news the most strong contenders for the title will be John John Florence, Gabriel Medina, Kolohe Andino, Australians Josh Kerr, Adrian Buchan, Joel Parkinson and Owen Right and Brazilian Raoni Monteiro. Things are getting quite interesting. It is one of the most disputed title races in recent years and the only true winners as for now are the hardcore surfing lovers all around the world.

10/15/12

It is no secret for every surfing movie lover that vimeo (one of the most interesting video sharing websites around) has established itself as a giant community of people who not only have a true passion for the art of filmmaking but have also taken the craft to a whole other level.

As a new way of distribution, vimeo has made it possible for thousands of filmmakers to show their art around the web, and some of it I must say is simply fantastic.

This week I chose to make a selection of some of the best indie surfing videos you can find on vimeo.

The first video of these series is called El Largo Dia. It was filmed and edited by Matt Kleiner, with surfers Josh Kerr and Jimmy Reyes as the main surfing attractions.

10/13/12

The best surfer of all time showed once again why he is undoubtedly the king of the waves. The american sportsman reached the third round of the Rip Curl Pro Portugal 2012 (follow the action live here). He won heat number 5 with 13,67 points, beating that way Damien Hobgood and Dillon Perillo.

Who also reached the third round was John John Florence, world´s number 4, by leaving out of competition fellow american Pat Gaudaskas and aussie Kai Otton.

In the first days of competition, and because the sea was not providing the best of conditions, surfers made a freesurf session in Supertubos, one of the best spots in the portuguese coast. Check it out.
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7/10/12

You probably already know that swimming may be one of the best activities to work your entire body. When it comes to swimming, the health benefits are virtually endless. There is a lot of swimming routines out there that can help you burn calories and keep you in shape, but which one is best? In all reality you can't go wrong with any swimming programs, but did you know that you can dramatically increase your fat burning potential by implementing high intensity interval training? By adding "HIIT," it turns a regular swimming into a high intensity swimming routine that burns fat like crazy!

What Does A HIIT Workout Routine Consist Of?

If you have never performed a HIIT workout, you are going to be shocked at how effective they are when it comes time to measure results. The workouts are very simple to perform: perform short bursts of high intensity movement followed by a burst of lower intensity movement. If you were doing this out on the track you would run as fast as possible for 30 seconds then slow to a job or walk for 60 seconds. You can mimic this same basic idea while swimming to get maximum results from every workout. Your calorie burn during this type of workout will far surpass the calorie burn for any other type of workout. You will even burn fat at a higher rate for hours after the workout!

HIIT + Steady State Cardio = Results

Steady state cardio is when you perform an activity at a constant speed for a much longer duration. Because it may take a couple hours to achieve the same calorie burning capabilities as a HIIT workout, it doesn't make sense to go down that route. But if you combine HIIT with steady state cardio, an amazing thing happens. HIIT will actually cause fat cells to be released into the blood stream as free fatty acids. So the moment HIIT is finished, we will introduce steady state cardio to burn up the free fatty acids. To recap, short bursts of energy releases the fatty acids in the bloodstream while steady state cardio burns them up.

What Your High Intensity Swimming Routine Will Look Like

1) Warm up briefly by swimming a couple laps

2) Freestyle swim(sprint) for 30 seconds

3) 60 seconds treading water or gently moving around. Rotate between the 30 second fast sprint and 60 seconds of treading water for 15 or 20 minutes. If you have trouble sustaining this rotation for the full length of time you can increase the rest period of treading water to 120 seconds, or 2 minutes.

Steady State Cardio

1) Swim laps at an easy to moderate pace for 15-30 minutes Note: The entire workout shouldn't be any longer than a total time of 45 minutes. This workout can be done 3-4 times a week.

A Natural Increase In HGH Levels From High Intensity Swimming

Your body needs human growth hormone, or HGH, to properly maintain muscle mass and support healthy fat burn. You have probably heard of this in relation to illegal injections used by athletes and bodybuilders, but you don't need to go there. HGH is a natural product of the human body so you can use HIIT workouts to naturally increase your own production. This is done best when you combine your high intensity swimming workouts with fasting. This is how it will work:

1) Do not eat for 3-4 hours before getting in the pool for your HIIT workout. Perform the workout with a completely empty stomach to stimulate HGH release.

2) Do not eat for a couple hours after the workout. This gives time for HGH to be released properly.

3) Fast a couple days a week to get the most benefit from increased HGH levels.

Lose the Fat Fast with High Intensity Swimming

High intensity swimming will do wonders for your body and you won't have to wait very long to see the results. Your body does not absorb the impact and strain that is experienced during a normal HIIT workout routine, so your swimming routines are less likely to lead to injury. You also remain cool and comfortable when you workout in the pool.

Author Adam Johnson understands how crucial it is for those who want to effectively torch body fat and preserve muscle. This is why he actively uses a HIIT workout to help those achieve an elite level of fitness. Make sure to check out some of the best cardio workoutsfor fat loss.

7/1/12

Europe does not have the galactic stars that dominate professional surfing. Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Taj Burrow or even the magnific set of brazillians that started to climb the rankings in recent years, all of these surfers belong to a whole other level. In the top 20 you find only one european: Jeremy Flores, and that is it. What makes european surfing performance in the world circuit so poor?

First, surfing is not a major sport in most european countries. It is reasonable to say that it has a cult status in countries like Portugal or France, but it is far from moving the masses that a game like football involves. Its true that the reputation of surfing has began to grow, specially among younger folks, but it is not enough to generate a passion comparable to the one shown by Australian fans.

Secondly, top surfing athletes in Europe are rare and the competition is weak. Recent years have shown that many good surfers have begun to show some good performance in the worlds waves but the overall level is still far from the one that American, Brazillian and Australian surfers can provide.

The verdict is, in my opinion, that European surf has a great potential and recent results show us that greater achievements can be won. What Europe needs is a great sportsman, a contender for the world title that can bring professional surfing to the masses.

5/29/12

The first edition of the SAL will take place in Lisbon between the days 14 and 17 of June. Solely dedicated to show what the world has to offer in terms of surf movies, the festival will be based on one of Lisbons legendary movie teathers: the Sao Jorge. For the last decades, Portugal has established itself as the most important country in Europe regarding the practice of surf and this event will try to reflect the growing phenomenon of surf culture among the portuguese people. Follow Great Surf Movies to get to know everything about this amazing event.

Interested in taking your film to the Surf At Lisbon Film Fest? Check the rules here.

4/27/12

In the beginning, kids would ride a skateboard emulating the actions on a surfboard

One of the most influential documentaries of the last decade tells us the story of the wild pack that changed the world of surfing forever. You might ask what kind of importance did the z-boys and the zephyr team had on the history of surfing if all they did was skateboarding. That is a good point, but the real importance of the dogtown bunch goes much further than skateboarding itself. What they did in reality was bring the surf art to the masses. If you think about it, skateboarding is surfing on asphalt. By democratizing something like surf (where you need expensive material and have to do it in a proper place) through the use of the skateboard, what the Zephyr team did was bring to all suburban kids the unique attitude and mindframe of the surf world. Watch this documentary and witness a bit of History.

4/16/12

Her story is well known among surfing lovers. In 2003, while surfing in Hawaai, Beth was attacked by a shark in an accident that left her without her left arm. Nowadays, almost ten years later, a movie is being released that tells the whole story after the tragedy. "Soul Surfer" shows us how her parents, Tom and Cheri, never gave up and made all the dreams of their girl possible.

4/10/12

It was a clash of titans: the two best surfers in these last years of pro surfing confronted for an epic final. It was after all what many experts considered to be the best final in the history of surfing. Mick Fanning, the australian thunder claimed a deserved victory over the best surfer of all time, Kelly Slater.

This win marks the 14th victory by Fanning in the pro circuit, and the first win since 2001 in Bells Beach. Unfortunate to share the same surf era with Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning is not so bad when it comes to count the results in the heat matchup history between the two surfers: 7 wins for the ozzie and 8 wins for the american.

To the events official site Mick Fanning revealed what he felt at the moment of winning."I am just stoked because it is been so long. It does not seem strange that it has taken so long to win another one when you have got other guys like Joel Parkinson, Jordy Smith and Kelly Slater on tour and I usually come up just a bit short. Usually against Joel, but I got him today!".

There was big controversy tough on Fannings victory. Kelly made a perfect 10 air 360 in the final and decisive heat and many fans considered the result injust for the american.

3/13/12

Between the 3th and 14th of April, legendary surfing spot Bells Beach will once more receive another event of the ASP World Tour. One of the most recognizable trophies of the circuit, the "Bell" cup, will be awarded to be best surfer to ride one of the most famous waves the Australian coast has to offer.

Bells Beach in Torquay is an exposed reef and point break that has consistent surf, although summer tends to be mostly flat. Offshore winds are from the northwest. Groundswells more frequent than windswells and the optimum swell angle is from the southwest. Best around mid tide when the tide is rising. When it's working here, it can get crowded. Surfing here means negotiating dangerous rips.

3/7/12

Even with all the polemics that surrounded the result (many fans defended that Adriano de Souza should have won the final and decisive heat), Taj Burrow won this years edition of the Quicksilver Pro Gold Coast.

The veteran surfer made a total of 15.86 points in the final heat against the 15.60 made by brazillian wonderboy Adriano de Souza. It was a very close dispute, provoking a great divide among the fans present at Coolangatta (even between the Australian ones).

It is the third time Burrow wins the Quicksilver Pro Gold Coast. The other two wins were in 2001 and 2010. It also marks his 10th win overall in competition.

He is the surf sensation of the year. Derek Rabelo, a 19 year old blind surfer is winning the admiration of the worldwide surf community. Yes you read that right the first time: Derek is blind and just last week he was surfing one of the most respected waves in the world, the ones in Pipeline, Hawaii.

Derek learned to surf just two years ago when his father and uncles introduced him to this way of life. His first surf coach in Guarapari (Brazil) soon realized that the kid had a great talent and told his family that he could be surfing any of the worlds best waves.

To be able to surf, Derek only needs the help of another surfer to initially catch the wave, in the riding part he is all by himself.
In a place well known for its peoples idiossincracies, Derek won the heart of Pipeline´s most hardcore surfers.

What’s the story with your sight — can you see anything? Were you born visually impaired or did something happen later?
No I’m 100 percent blind. Yes, I was born blind.

When did you learn to surf?
2 and a half years ago.

Was that your first time surfing Pipe? How was it for you?
No, I surfed Pipe at the same day they had the finals of the Volcom Pro, 01-31-12. I couldn`t catch waves because it was very crowded but it was amazing experience…6-8 feet perfect Pipe.

The video said you wanted to pull into the tube. Has that happened yet?
I`ve got a couple barrels but I didn’t make it out.
Were you surprised at the gift of the surfboard? How does it ride?
Yes I was, very surprised. The board is amazing, 6’2″…
( This interview is Courtesy of the adventure hournal)

2/8/12

One of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil is about to host the 2012 edition of the Hang Loose Pro Contest. Ninety six surfers from all over the globe will compete for the first very important surf trophy of the season, where 6500 competition points and a prize money of 250 k dollars are in dispute. Cacimba do Padre beach, on the island of Fernando de Noronha is well known for its incredible tubes and challeging waves.

Interested in following all the live action? Watch it here.

The competition is over. Thanks for watching the broadcast.
Meanwhile there are more good news for Kelly Slater. The north american surfer won his fourth award for best Action Sportsman.

2/2/12

In my last post I focused on how to get really ripped and fit for a surfing session. Many of you were really curious about the author of those videos. They were prepared by the fasterswimming team, a group of coaches that specializes in swimming and sport endurance. The following workouts should be done the following way.

First of all you should have some cardio. Run some miles but not at a too high level. It should be just enough to get you a bit sweaty. After that you should choose between one of these three warm up sessions, Ideally, you should choose a different warm up for every training day. Alternate.

Here is warm up session 1 (I have already posted it on my last post). This first warm up focuses on Mobility:
This second warm up video is a Body Weight Combo.
And finally, the third warm up, using a weight.

1/27/12

How fit are you really? Before even considering to buy a surfboard or taking professional surfing lessons you should see how good is your overall fitness. In order to surf you should have some good athletic features and realize that only a healthy surfer is able to put up a great performance on the best waves avaiable. Forget the stoned lazy ass surfer stereotype. If you wanna surf you better get fit and quickly!

I found a very good bundle of athletic fat loss and body recomposition videos. They use a variety of methods and exercises that will improve your overall surfing ability. Check them here. They were designed by a swimming coach but they apply very well to surfing. I leave an example for you.

1/25/12

The schedule for the 2012 ASP competition has just been released. According to the document, Australia will be the first nation to host an event with the Quicksilver Pro on the Gold Coast to take place between the 25th of February and the 7th of March.

The first event on the northern hemisphere will take place in Trestles, California, 8 months after the first title event! But there is no need to grow desperate, since many prime and star events are scheduled for those 8 months.